So were the BOY and Cooper which made falling back asleep next to impossible.

My plan was to start my morning with a 9:30am yoga class at a new studio where my trainer teaches. As I was deciding what to do with my newly found morning hours and heating up some water for tea, I hopped onto my computer to find directions. It’s a good thing that I did because I also discovered that the yoga class was at 8am instead of 9:30 due to the holiday schedule. It was just before 7 so I texted my trainer just to be sure. When she replied with the 8am start time, I quickly made and gobbled down eggs, threw on some clothes, and waved goodbye to the BOY and Cooper (thanking them for the wake up call) as I dashed out the door.

Holidays typically mean no traffic, so miraculously I was the first to arrive at the yoga studio. I found a spot to lay down my mat, grab blocks, and get comfortable before class began.

When I reopened my eyes, the initiate room was full and the excitement palpable for this early morning practice. This teacher is a wonderful guide (and I’m not just saying that because we are friends). I quickly realized that my shoulders and quads were burning after yesterday morning’s group class and last night’s high school yoga class. We eased into each pose digging deeper both physically and emotionally as the American themed songs played in the background.

The new setting definitely kept me present and and engaged while also pushing me go deeper or try new things. Like firefly pose using the two blocks. This arm balance was super tough for me and I’m guessing my biggest limitation would be the lack of range in my shoulders and super tight hips. Either way, it was fun to try and exciting to watch others master the pose. If you’re interested, it could look something like this. After class, I was asking the teacher about a juice bar I had passed on the way over. She said that the best juice bar EVER is right next door, which is exactly where I headed finding most of the class already there.

I ordered the Extreme Green and enjoyed every sip on my way back towards home. I needed to swing by the grocery store which was an even bigger cluster than I could have imagined, but I survived and returned home with meat for lunch and the ingredients to make dessert and fruit salad for tonight’s BBQ with my friends.

The BOY took a study break to make us lunch, and we ate out back under our brand new umbrella.

Afterwards, he returned to multiple choice questions while Cooper hunted down a fly, and I made a vibrant fruit salad.

Then it was on to desert…

One of my other friends is bringing a chocolate + PB desert tonight, so I spent the week trying to think of something different. This time of year, I am a huge fan of anything No Bake, and during all times of the year, I LOVE a trifle! My thought was that this would also be kid friendly for the young ones.

I really wanted to use pound cake and was almost disappointed to only find angel food cake at the store. Until, I remembered that Sara Lee has a fantastic frozen version of this classic cake. I had a slight idea in my head of how I wanted this to go, and here is how it actually went…

I’d say that everything came together marvelously and I even had a few bites of cake to snack on while I decorated the top to go along with the red, white, and blue theme.

I had the most wonderful day off, and can’t wait to spend tonight appreciating this gorgeous day and celebrating with my besties and their families. Wishing ya’ll a happy, safe, and fun rest of your Friday and long holiday weekend!

What did you make for the 4th this year?

Link up your recipes!

Red, White, and Blue Trifle (aka Strawberry Shortcake Trifle)

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small pound cakes, cubed

1 (5 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding

3 cups of milk (I used 1%)

2 lbs strawberries, rinsed and diced (save some for decorating the top)

1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried (save some for decorating the top)

1 ginormous container of Cool Whip Lite, thawed not frozen

Directions

Cut your pound cake into squares and dice your strawberries. Have everything ready to go before you begin layering.

Then, layer on the rest of your cake, the rest of your pudding (whisk it first, it may start to set), 1/3 of your strawberries and using a spatula, gently cover the top of the trifle with whipped cream.

Decorate with extra berries as desired!

Best made day of and store in the refrigerator. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Great day! Isn’t it fun to have a day off! That trifle looks awesome! I bet it tasted good too! That fruit salad looks amazing too!! I had an 8 hour work out that started early so I came home and just hung out! I was falling asleep just as the fireworks were starting but it didn’t stop me from falling right to sleep! 🙂

Being Me

Welcome to my page! I am a 30 year old living in suburbia struggling to balance a full-time job in health care, healthy eating, and exercise along with all the other fun things I enjoy. I love to bake, run, travel, practice yoga, take pictures, cook, and share it all with you.

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